GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Cleveland State volleyball team continued its winning ways Friday evening, battling for a five-set victory at Green Bay. The 3-2 win over the Phoenix improved Cleveland State to 12-7 overall this season and 5-3 in Horizon League action.
Cleveland State vs. Green Bay Box Score
Match Stats
· Sara Skeens led the Viking offense with 17 kills, while Alexis Middlebrooks added 13.
· Emily DeGeorge added 11 kills, while Gina Kilner posted nine, Rachel Stover added eight and Hannah Greene recorded six.
· Gina Kilner finished with 49 assists on the match.
· Alexis Middlebrooks tallied a team-best eight blocks, while Gina Kilner posted seven.
· Shannon Grega led the Viking defense with 15 digs, while Jordan Verbiak added 14 and Emily DeGeorge posted 11 digs.
· Emily DeGeorge and Shannon Grega each recorded two service aces.
Match Notes
· This marked the second five-set victory for the Vikings this season.
· Sara Skeens tied her career-high with her 17-kill performance at Green Bay.
· Emily DeGeorge tallied her fourth double-double of the season with 11 kills and 11 digs.
· Alexis Middlebrooks marked a season-high with her eight block assists, and was just shy of tying her career-high.
The Match
During the opening set both teams traded points throughout the first part of the frame, until Cleveland State went on a 5-1 run to gain a 15-10 advantage on an Emily DeGeorge service ace and kill. The Vikings were then able to hold the lead over the next part of the set, but a Green Bay run would tie the frame at 19-19, which was then followed by five additional ties until Cleveland State was finally able to put the frame away on back-to-back kills from Rachel Stover and DeGeorge.
The second set was much of the same, as the Vikings were able to distance themselves midway through the frame, following a 6-1 run that gave Cleveland State an 18-12 lead. The Vikings were then able to control play throughout the rest of the frame, gaining the 2-0 match advantage on a pair of Green Bay errors to close out the set.
After Green Bay was able to even the match at 2-2 after picking up wins in the third and fourth sets, the Vikings came out strong during the fifth and deciding set, capturing the five-set road victory. During the final frame the Vikings were able to post the first two points of the set on an Alexis Middlebrooks kill and Phoenix error. The two teams then traded points throughout the next part of the frame, until Cleveland State rattled off three straight points on a DeGeorge kill, Shannon Grega service ace and DeGeorge and Middlebrooks block to gain a 10-7 advantage. Although Green Bay was able to close the gap to one point over the final part of the frame, Cleveland State was able to hold the advantage for the remainder of the contest, coming away with the 15-12 set victory on a Sara Skeens kill.
CSU Career Record Book
· Gina Kilner finished the weekend just six assists shy of 4,000 for her career, as she currently has 3,994 career assists following her 49-assist effort at Green Bay.
· Alexis Middlebrooks is closing in on 1,000 career kills, needing just 17 more to achieve the feat after posting 13 kills at Green Bay.
Up Next
· Cleveland State will return home to host UIC (Friday, October 20) and Milwaukee (Saturday, October 21) in a weekend series.